No. 2/3 Terriers back in Beanpot final for first time since 2012

For the first time in three years, the No. 2/3 Boston University men’s hockey team has a chance to hoist the Beanpot Tournament trophy above the ice at TD Garden.

Despite entering the 63rd incarnation of the storied Boston-based tournament as losers in eight of their last nine Beanpot contests, the Terriers (17-4-4, 11-2-2 Hockey East) were able to punch their ticket to the title game after outlasting No. 6 Harvard University Tuesday in a double-overtime marathon that lasted three hours and 39 minutes.

After tying the score at three goals apiece against the Crimson (12-6-2) in the second period, BU was not able to put another puck past goaltender Steve Michalek until just over two minutes into the second overtime period, when junior forward Danny O’Regan tapped the biscuit through Michalek’s legs to secure the 4-3 win and send BU back to the championship game.

The Beanpot, known as the “BU Invitational” in certain circles, has been customarily  dominated by the scarlet and white, with the Terriers appearing in the title game 50 times including this coming Monday and winning 29 championships in the process.

While BU has maintained an impressive track record at the Beanpot, the team has not won a championship since the 2009 season, when it defeated Northeastern University by a score of 5-2.

Next Monday’s showdown will serve as a rematch of that championship game, as Northeastern (11-11-4, 6-7-2 Hockey East) defeated No. 11/12 Boston College, 3-2, to set up a chance for its first Beanpot title since the 1987-88 season. The Huskies have now appeared in three straight finals, losing their first two games against the Eagles (16-9-2, 9-5-2 Hockey East) in 2013 and 2014.

BU and Northeastern have faced off 11 times in the Beanpot clinching game, with the Terriers skating off as victors in eight of those matchups. While BU leads the pack amongst tournament participants with 29 titles, Northeastern ranks last with four, all of which were earned during the 1980s.

The Terriers’ freshman corps might have received its first taste of Beanpot action Tuesday night, but playing under the intense pressure of a championship game is a scenario that few members of the BU roster can say that they’ve truly experienced.

During their last appearance in the Beanpot final on Feb. 12, 2012, the Terriers slugged it out with the Eagles all the way until overtime, when BC forward Bill Arnold scored with just over six seconds left on the clock to hand Boston College its 17th tournament triumph.

Senior assistant captains, forwards Evan Rodrigues and Cason Hohmann, are the only players still on the team that skated in BU’s loss to the Eagles just under three years ago.

The Huskies — winners of eight of their last 12 games — will certainly prove to be a challenge for the Terriers, but BU’s small set of seniors are up for the task set before them next week.

“This is my fourth year here,” Hohmann said after BU’s semifinal victory Tuesday. “We haven’t had much success in the Beanpot while I’ve been here … I think we worked really hard, and we were really, really excited. Everyone’s really excited. And we just can’t wait to play the finals next week.”